The creativity of Air Bud: Golden Retriever stops at the title. The Framm family returns, though the canine component takes a backseat to human drama. Mom (Stevenson) is enjoying a budding romance with the town vet (Harrison), and son Josh (Zegers) is having a tough time dealing with it. (He hasn't gotten over the death of his father.) He joins the school football team to keep his mind off his problems. The rag-tag team needs some help, and guess who straps on a helmet and shoulder pads? A silly subplot has two Russian circus people trying to dognap Buddy.